Animal health

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator Raising calves can be very rewarding and very challenging. Bringing calves from multiple sources can certainly complicate the process, but following a good receiving protocol will help reduce the challenges. Identification and health checks The first step is properly identifying calves. Clearly state the source farm, date

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist Five key metrics can help us evaluate calf performance.  They are: Birth bodyweight Gestation length, calving ease score, calving outside the calving pen, twinning, and failure of passive transfer Health treatment and age at treatment Age, weight and hip height at weaning/grouping Weight at three

By Rebekah LaBerge, Ag Partners calf specialist With harvest right around the corner, many of us that focus on calves will have a hard time catching folks for calf walkthroughs and evaluations. We might get the occasional phone call or run over for a quick talk about calves in the tractor cab. During harvest (and

The umbilical cord of a newborn calf is the residual pipeline from the mother’s blood to the calf.  The unborn calf uses the mother’s circulation for nourishment and her urinary system to remove the waste it produces.  During birth, the cord is stretched until it breaks.  At that point, the calf is cut off from

By Dr. Kevin Ratka, Vita Plus dairy technical sales specialist, and Dr. Owen Mickley, dairy specialist Question:  My herd has a high prevalence of Johne’s, so we've been using the Johne's vaccine in our herd.  Will that affect our ability to feed colostrum and milk to calves?  A:  For several reasons, Johne’s disease is very

By Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist Winter issues of magazines and newsletters are stacking up and surely contain a number of articles in reference to feeding and managing dairy calves in winter. All of those comments are important and true; dairy calves are very sensitive to cold conditions.  Changes in feeding and management

With Dr. Sheila McGuirk, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine Calf respiratory health tends to be discussed most frequently during the fall and spring months, but it should be a top priority year-round, according to Dr. Sheila McGuirk, veterinarian and professor with the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Pneumonia, which is an

By Dr. Emily Schier, Lena Veterinary Clinic When you look out into your calf pens, do you feel like you are just running into problems? Does it feel like everything is jetting out of control?  Can you just see the money hemorrhaging out of your pockets? Well, it could be that your scouring problems are

By Brittany Stewart, Vita Plus Dodgeville dairy specialist Here in southwest Wisconsin, the hot summer weather finally showed up, but the cooler summer months have brought on a few challenges. Although spring came late this year, fly control was still a high priority. Fly control is key to keeping  calves comfortable and reducing the incidence

Article written by Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman Dairy producers are beef producers too, which is why it is important to ensure meat quality by preventing injection site lesions and drug residues. According to Dr. Richard Wallace, DVM, MS, with Zoetis, dairy producers can capture more value for their cull cows by focusing on Beef Quality

Click to download the PowerPoint presentation Article written by Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman We often associate the stress of giving birth with how it affects the cow and underestimate the dramatic physiological changes that the calf undergoes, according to Colorado State University’s Dr. Franklyn Garry, DVM, MS. “At birth, the calf faces the biggest challenges

By Dr. Edie Brandt, De Pere Veterinary Service Question:  Once in a while, we will take in samples collected from a deceased calf for analysis.  Can you please help me to better understand the findings and how to use this information? A:  First of all, the best person to help answer your questions is your

By Dr. Max Thornsberry, Milk Specialties Global Animal Nutrition Cryptosporidiosis (or crypto) is caused by the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum. Crypto and coccidiosis are caused by similar parasites; both disease organisms utilize the cells lining the digestive tract to reproduce.  Many different species of Coccidia affect different portions of the digestive tract.  Typically, the most

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist Determining the cause of scours in calves is often difficult.  Unlike the majority of monogastric animals, ruminants cannot vomit to expel stomach contents before reaching the small intestine.  Newborn calves also make low amount of stomach acid (to protect colostral antibodies), which is a natural

By Kevin Caspersen, Vita Plus dairy specialist As we all know, this winter has been a tough one on people, calves and heifers in the I-29 corridor.  The memorable winter continues with the mercury dipping to zero or below 44 times this winter so far - the most since the winter of 1981-82, according to